Ladies And Gentlemen, The Nintendo Switch Is Almost Here!

Nintendo has been around for forever. They’re one of the pioneers of the gaming industry. You either love them, or you don’t. Regardless of which side you stand on, they’re here to stay… and hoping to sweep the gaming industry off it’s feet once again.

Wielding titles like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo has brought us gamers some of the most iconic video games and characters ever. Across consoles from NES to the Wii/Wii U, Nintendo has always been the innovator. You can make an argument about the decisions and directions they’ve chosen to take, but you cannot argue with their intentions and vision… Nintendo has always attempted to take gaming to places it hasn’t been before, both literally and figuratively.

For a few generations, outside of some titles, Nintendo seemed to be taking a more mainstream, “family friendly” approach to gaming. For the most part, the numbers would agree, as the Nintendo Wii console, with games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit, would kill it. People who would normally dismiss video games, were picking up Wii consoles as an alternative to pricey gym memberships. As for the “hardcore” gamers out there, this direction was a problem. Many felt that, outside of those Mario and LoZ games, Nintendo was making promises they couldn’t keep.

In comes Nintendo Switch.

This console is said to have “DNA” from each and every console that Nintendo has ever created… That right there is a bold statement. This is supposed to be the console to break the barrier between gaming at home and gaming on the go. Will they deliver on this VERY tough feat?

The Nintendo Switch will be launching on Friday, March 3, 2017 (simultaneously in all regions), at a price of $299.99 (in the US). That’s actually right around the corner… And a lot of us are counting down the days. The Switch ships with a tablet, a “Joy-Con” controller (which actually splits into two, totally functional controllers. That is a HUGE deal in itself), a Joy-Con grip and a dock, which will allow you to use your Switch as a traditional gaming console.

The Console:

One of the biggest selling points for the Switch is the ability to take your Switch console out and game on the go. This could potentially make or break the success of the console. Personally, I am more concerned with the traditional console part of the Switch (“TV Mode”). I’m hoping for an actual NEXT GEN Nintendo console. I would love to see Nintendo stand amongst PlayStation, XBox and PC, and be more than just a party console. I really don’t plan on using my Switch outside of my house, but many people are really banking on the ability to do so. And hey, should they deliver, this will be HUGE for Nintendo and the entire gaming industry. They’ve said that you can connect up to 8 Switch consoles, wirelessly, to play multiplayer games offline, and that, brings something completely new to the table, so to speak.

Currently, the two biggest questions about the Switch are:

Will there be a significant difference in performance when it is being played off of the dock?

That question will hopefully be answered VERY soon, as Nintendo will be holding events that will give players an opportunity to play the Switch before it’s released. It’s rumored that there is a slight drop from 1080p to 720p (Thanks for that tidbit, Johnny! https://pixelatedrampage.com), when taking the Switch off of the dock, but to be quite frank, that’s a very MINOR difference.

What will the battery life be like?

Nintendo has said that the battery life will vary. Ranging anywhere from 3-6 hours. Honestly, you can’t expect a portable console to last a crazy amount of time, let alone one that is supposed to be as powerful as current next gen consoles. Even the iPads/iPhones’ battery life isn’t that long when you’re playing games and watching movies on it. We’ll just have to keep our chargers handy.

My question is, how powerful will the Switch be while using it as a traditional console, via the dock? All I want from Nintendo, is a console that is just as much next gen as the rest of them. Imagine the Nintendo 64 with the power of PS4 or XBox One. Though my PS4 will always be my #1 destination for third party games, like NBA 2K, GTA, Borderlands, etc., it would be great to see those types of games, not only playable on the Switch, but looking and running just as smooth as it would on my PS4 (or Xbox). I did mention that I wouldn’t really bringing my Switch outside to play, but being able to play via the game pad, at home, while someone else is playing another console or watching movies is a pretty amazing feature… Something I love about the Wii U.

We have gotten some gameplay footage of games like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and those games look AMAZING. They seem to be taking what we know and love about past games, and pushing the limits with amazing graphics. So, with what we’ve gotten so far, games on the Switch LOOK beautiful , but we won’t know if it’s just more than just eye candy until we all get our hands on the Switch.

The Joy-Con:

The first thing many people will say is how expensive it will be to buy a second Joy-Con controller, and they’re not wrong. One Joy-Con controller costs about $50 (US), the pair is going for $80 (US). A Pro controller is said to cost about $70. But before you do that, Nintendo did something that will easily be overlooked but is, in fact, a big deal… The Switch’s Joy-Con controller separates into TWO fully functional controllers. I could’ve went into the HD Rumble feature, or the enhanced motion sensors, or even the new screen capture button (which will allow video capture in the future), but the ability to get into multiplayer action right off the bat, while saving some valuable pennies, is, for lack of better words, monumental.

Those HD Rumble and enhanced motion sensor features I mentioned are pretty cool additions. The HD Rumble feature is said to give gamers and even more realistic experience, giving players a sort of accurate feel for the actions taking place in-game. Should be very interesting to see how that all plays out. As for the enhanced motion sensor feature, that’s pretty self explanatory. It’s said to pick up motions more accurately. For example, it’ll be able to recognize the difference between rock, paper, scissors. Again, those are things players won’t be able to feel for themselves till they actually play the Switch.

There’s also, the almost standard, image capture button on the controller. Now you can capture and save gameplay images with the press of one button. Video capture/share will be coming at a later time, which would give way to live-streaming on the Switch.

The hype is real, and the best part about it, is that we’re only a little over a month away from the Nintendo Switch’s release! There are definitely more questions than answers at this point, but this one looks promising. I, for one, have preordered the Nintendo Switch console AND The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wind Master Edition… and I cannot be more ready!

Stay tuned to failingsuccessfully.com and Successfully Failing TV, our OFFICIAL YouTube channel, for the unboxing of the Switch and LoZ Master Edition, as well as more Nintendo Switch coverage.